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Changes for page Simple sentences

Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/11 23:51
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edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 17:55
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To version Icon 2.18 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/03/07 13:22
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5 5  * **cognitive impairments** – easy to understand words and sentences need less cognition
6 6  * **visual impairments** – short and simple sentences convey meaning in a smaller visual field
7 7  * **motor impairments** – it's less tiring when you can understand what you read quickly
8 -
9 9  
10 -== ==
11 11  
12 12  == Guidelines ==
13 13  
14 14  [[Plain English>>Plain English||anchor="pe"]]
15 15  
16 -[[Simple sentences>>||anchor="ssl"]]
14 +[[Simple sentences >> ||anchor="ssl"]]
17 17  
18 -[[Specialist terms>>||anchor="st"]]
16 +[[Specialist terms>>Specialist terms||anchor="st"]]
19 19  
20 20  [[Medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]]
21 21  
... ... @@ -22,11 +22,8 @@
22 22  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
23 23  [[Words to avoid>>doc:.Words to avoid.WebHome]]
24 24  
25 -
26 26  ----
27 27  
28 -== ==
29 -
30 30  == {{id name="pe"/}}Plain English ==
31 31  
32 32  Make content clear and understandable, to open the web up for users with different literacy levels and access challenges.
... ... @@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
63 63  What is 'plain' for one person may not be for someone else.
64 64  
65 65  
66 -== Usability evidence: plain English ==
61 +== Usability evidence for plain English ==
67 67  
68 68  [[Guideline 3.1 Readable: Make text content readable and understandable.>>url:https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/meaning-supplements.html]], Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, 2008.
69 69  
... ... @@ -81,21 +81,19 @@
81 81  
82 82  [[Plain language entry>>url:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_language]], Wikipedia, last updated 2018
83 83  
84 -
85 85  ----
86 86  
87 -== ==
88 -
89 89  == {{id name="ssl"/}}Simple sentences ==
90 90  
83 +
91 91  === 1. Make your average sentence 15 words long. ===
92 92  
93 -The maximum sentence length for a good level of comprehension is 25 words. Split long sentences up into 2 or 3, or use bullet points.
86 +The maximum sentence length we would recommend for easy comprehension is 25 words.
94 94  
95 -Oxford Guide to plain English, GOV.UK and linguists agree 15 word sentences are fine but above 40 words is hard to understand.
88 +You can split longer sentences up into 2 or 3 or restructure the content with bullet points to make meaning clearer for users.
96 96  
97 97  
98 -=== 2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ===
91 +== 2. Avoid complex sentence structures. ==
99 99  
100 100  They are less easy to comprehend quickly. Understanding them requires more cognitive effort than simple sentences.
101 101  
... ... @@ -110,14 +110,16 @@
110 110  >"The fox, which was red, over the gate jumped." – harder to understand
111 111  
112 112  
113 -== Usability evidence: simple sentences ==
106 +== Usability evidence for simple sentences ==
114 114  
115 -Oxford Guide to plain English
108 +"People with some learning disabilities read letter for letter – they do not bounce around like other users. They also cannot fully understand a sentence if it’s too long. People with moderate learning disabilities can understand sentences of 5 to 8 words without difficulty. By using common words we can help all users understand sentences of around 25 words." GOV.UK
116 116  
117 -Jyoti Sanyal 'Indlish'
110 +The Oxford Guide to Plain English recommends 15–20 words per sentence. It also says: "…if you regularly exceed 40 words, you’ll certainly weary and deter your readers."
118 118  
119 -Author Ann Wylie
112 +Jyoti Sanyal, author of 'Indlish' said: "Based on several studies, press associations in the USA have laid down a readability table. Their survey shows readers find sentences of 8 words or less very easy to read; 11 words, easy; 14 words fairly easy; 17 words standard; 21 words fairly difficult; 25 words difficult and 29 words or more, very difficult."
120 120  
114 +Author Ann Wylie said: "When the average sentence length in a piece was fewer than 8 words long, readers understood 100% of the story. At 14 words, they could comprehend more than 90% of the information. But move up to 43-word sentences and comprehension dropped below 10 percent."
115 +
121 121  [[Writing for GOV.UK>>url:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/writing-for-gov-uk]], UK Government website
122 122  
123 123  [['Sentence length: why 25 words is our limit'>>url:https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2014/08/04/sentence-length-why-25-words-is-our-limit/]], Inside GOV.UK, UK Government blog, 2014
... ... @@ -158,18 +158,15 @@
158 158  
159 159  [[The Crystal Mark standard>>url:http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/services/crystal-mark/7-the-crystal-mark-standard.html]] Plain English Campaign, undated
160 160  
161 -
162 162  ----
163 163  
164 -== ==
158 +== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms: explain them ==
165 165  
166 -== {{id name="st"/}}Specialist terms ==
167 -
168 168  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
169 169  Make specialist content comprehensible by non-experts.
170 170  
171 171  
172 -=== 1. Explain specialist terms: anybody can access your content. ===
164 +=== 1. Remember that anybody can access your content. ===
173 173  
174 174  Assuming who your audience is, and that they'll understand the technical terms you use, are common misconceptions.
175 175  
... ... @@ -191,14 +191,13 @@
191 191  
192 192  >Example:
193 193  >
194 ->"It is a Palladian style stone building, and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving." – original sentence (source [[yourdictionary.com>>url:http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/palladian]]).
186 +>"It is a Palladian style stone building, and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving." – original sentence.
195 195  >
196 196  >"It is a [[Palladian style>>url:http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/s/style-guide-palladianism/]] stone building, and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving." – with link to a definition.
197 ->
198 198  > "It is a Palladian style stone building and contains a number of splendid paintings and much fine wood-carving. Palladian style architecture features include columns, symmetry and decorative arches." – with explanatory definition.
199 199  
200 200  
201 -== Usability evidence: specialist terms ==
192 +== Usability evidence for explaining specialist terms ==
202 202  
203 203  [['Writing Digital Copy for Domain Experts'>>url:https://www.nngroup.com/articles/writing-domain-experts/]], Nielson Norman Group, 2017
204 204  
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213 213  [['Technical Writing Need Not Be Abstruse—Use Plain Language for Maximum Impact'>>url:https://digital.gov/2015/10/23/technical-writing-need-not-be-abstruse-use-plain-language-for-maximum-impact/#]], Colleen Blessing, 2015
214 214  
215 215  [['The Facets of the General Public as Audience'>>url:https://www.dropbox.com/s/2u2cybl7c57u0tr/AudienceIssues.pdf?dl=0]] Cheryl Stephens and Mariah Stufflebeam, 2017
216 -
217 217  
218 -----
208 +(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
209 +We generated the [[before sentence about an architecture term>>url:http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/palladian]] from yourdictionary.com and applied our recommendations.
219 219  
211 +
220 220  (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
221 221  Here's some sector specific guidance for [[medicine, money and law>>doc:.Medical.WebHome]].
222 222